1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to well tools and more particularly to apparatus for monitoring one or more parameters (such as pressure, temperature, or the like) in a well.
2. Related Art and Information
It has been common practice for many years to record downhole pressures, temperatures, and other parameters in wells through use of instruments lowered from the surface on wire line, electric cable, or similar means. The instruments were powered by clockworks, or by electrical energy either supplied by a battery carried in them or transmitted to them from the surface. Data gathered in this manner were recorded on a chart, stored in a memory bank after being processed by a microprocessor, or in cases where the instrument was powered by electricity transmitted to it from the surface, data sensed by the instrument were generally converted to electrical signals which were transmitted via the electrical cable to suitable equipment at the surface which processed the signals and displayed these data in real time and/or stored the resultant data for subsequent printout.
It is known to install instruments in wells for recording or gathering data over a period of several hours or several days during which time other tools may be lowered into the well, the instrument being later retrieved with a retrieval tool. It is known to use a special side pocket mandrel in which to install instruments for such purposes. The side pocket mandrel is connectable in the well tubing string to form a part thereof, has a main bore therethrough aligned with the tubing bore, has a receptacle bore laterally offset from the main bore and extending alongside thereof, the receptacle bore having an upstanding electrical contact or prong in its lower end connected through an insulated plug to an insulated conductor (wire) extending from the plug to suitable equipment at the surface. The instrument in this case is lowered into the well on a wire line and kickover tool and installed in the receptacle bore after which the wire line and kickover tool ar retrieved from the well. When the instrument is installed in the side pocket mandrel, an electrical socket in its lower end telescopes down over the upstanding electrical contact in the receptacle bore to establish electrical contact so that the instrument may receive electrical energy transmitted thereto from the surface and so that the instrument may send suitable electrical signals to the surface for processing, display, printout, and/or storage in a memory bank.
Examples of side pocket mandrels, downhole electrical connectors, kickover tools, and running tools are found in the prior patents listed below (one copy each of the most pertinent ones being enclosed with this application).
______________________________________ Patents of The United States Re.24,403 3,054,456 3,713,483 3,867,983 4,106,563 Re.25,292 3,059,210 3,727,683 3,874,445 4,106,564 Re.28,588 3,059,700 3,727,684 3,876,001 4,135,576 Re.29,870 3,105,509 3,729,699 3,889,748 4,146,091 2,282,822 3,268,006 3,732,928 3,891,032 4,169,505 2,664,162 3,277,838 3,736,548 3,899,025 4,197,909 2,679,903 3,282,348 3,741,299 3,939,705 4,201,265 2,679,904 3,311,509 3,741,303 3,958,633 4,224,986 2,824,525 3,353,607 3,752,231 3,965,979 4,239,082 2,828,698 3,353,608 3,753,206 3,994,339 4,271,902 2,851,110 3,378,811 3,788,397 4,002,203 4,294,313 2,914,078 3,398,392 3,796,259 4,030,543 4,325,431 2,923,357 3,439,626 3,799,259 4,031,954 4,333,527 2,942,671 3,491,326 3,802,503 4,033,409 4,368,780 2,948,341 3,561,528 3,807,428 4,034,806 4,375,237 2,962,097 3,581,818 3,807,498 4,035,011 4,416,330 2,964,110 3,603,393 3,807,499 4,039,026 4,440,222 2,994,335 3,610,336 3,827,489 4,051,895 4,442,893 3,014,533 3,627,042 3,827,490 4,066,128 4,452,305 3,022,829 3,641,479 3,828,853 4,103,740 4,589,717 3,040,814 3,666,012 3,837,398 4,105,279 Patents of Canada 991539 1001065 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,870 which issued to Howard H. Moore, Jr., et al. on Dec. 26, 1978 and the original thereof, U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,490 which issued to Howard H. Moore, Jr., et al. on Aug. 6, 1974 diclose an orienting type side pocket mandrel which is considered typical. It has the usual main bore, an offset receptacle bore alongside thereof, a belly above the receptacle bore providing space for operation of a kickover tool, and an orienting sleeve above the belly for orienting a kickover tool with respect to the receptacle bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,490 which issued to Harold E. McGowen, Jr on August 6, 1974, discloses an orienting type side pocket mandrel which has an orienting sleeve below the receptacle for orienting a kickover tool and a trip shoulder above the belly for actuating such kickover tool.
U S. Pat. No. 4,294,313 which issued to Harry E. Schwegman on Oct. 13, 1981, discloses an orienting type side pocket mandrel having much the same characteristics as the mandrel of U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,490 but having a 360-degree trip shoulder above the belly for actuating a pumpdown type kickover tool.
U.S. Pat. 4,333,527 which issued to Robert S. Higgins, et al. on June 8, 1982, discloses a side pocket mandrel of the orienting type constructed without longitudinal structural welds and made sturdy to withstand high differential pressures in either burst or collapse, the main body portion being formed essentially from a solid block of steel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,330 which issued to David T. Merritt, et al. on Nov. 22, 1983, discloses a side pocket mandrel structured very much like that of U.S. Pat. 4,333,527, but wherein the upper body section of the mandrel has a main bore and a longitudinal keyway-like channel formed in the wall of the main bore, this channel being aligned with the receptacle bore and providing space thereabove for the operation of a kickover tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,222 which issued to William H. Pullin on Apr. 3, 1984, discloses orienting type side pocket mandrels having improved orienting sleeves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,705 which issued to Bernard J. P. Glotin, et al. on Feb. 24, 1976, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,279 which issued to Bernard J. P. Glotin, et al. on Aug. 8, 1978, the latter patent being a division of the former patent, disclose side pocket mandrels of the non-orienting type each having a main bore, an offset receptacle bore, a belly above the receptacle bore providing space for operation of a kickover tool, and an upstanding electrical contact in the offset receptacle bore engageable by a mating electrical socket on a monitoring instrument installed in the receptacle bore, the electrical contact in the receptacle bore being connected via an electrical conductor extending to the surface. These patents disclose in detail the mating parts of the plug-in connector (that portion carried on the instrument and that portion carried on the side pocket mandrel).
U.S. Pat. 4,589,717 issued to Alain P. Pottier, et al. on May 20, 1986 and discloses an electrical connector for downhole use in a well. This connector comprises mating male and female portions. The female portion contains a liquid dielectric and a spring-biased shuttle or plug for closing the open upper end to prevent escape thereof. At mating, the plug is depressed to allow mating of the parts and the liquid dielectric is displaced, increasing its pressure and moving a spring-biased piston. This dielectric being slightly pressured by the movement of the plug and being in contact with the exterior of the contacts, urges the same inwardly to assure better electrical contact between the male and female parts.
Additional prior art plug-in connections for subsurface use are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,059,210; 3,378,811; 3,398,392; 3,491,326; 3,641,479; 3,729,699; 3,736,548; and 3,753,206.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,633 which issued to James A. Britch, et al. on May 25, 1976, discloses a side pocket mandrel having a lateral port in its offset receptacle bore connected to the lower end of a hydraulic control line extending from the surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,986, which issued to Robert H. Rothberg on Sept. 30, 1980, discloses a side pocket device having a pair of hydraulic control lines connected to a pair of lateral ports in its offset receptacle bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,431, which issued to Neil H. Akkerman on Apr. 20, 1982, discloses a side pocket mandrel having a lateral port in its offset receptacle bore connected to a hydraulic control line.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,608, which issued to Fred F. Beebe on Nov. 2, 1967, discloses an early type kickover tool which is actuated in response to its trip key engaging a downwardly facing shoulder when the kickover tool lifted in the well tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,313, which issued to Harry E. Schwegman on Oct. 13, 1981, discloses a kickover tool of the 90-degree type wherein its pivot arm pivots from an aligned position to a misaligned position wherein it extends outward of the kickover tool at substantially 90-degrees thus making possible much shorter side pocket mandrels and applying straighter axial forces to valves and the like as they are installed and removed thereby.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,398, which issued to John H. Yonker on Sept. 24, 1974 is an improvement over the Schwegman kickover tool (U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,313, supra) in which the pivot arm is releasably locked in its misaligned position until withdrawn from the side pocket mandrel.
U.S. Pat. 4,103,740, which issued to John H. Yonker on Aug. 1, 1978 is a further improvement over the kickover tool of Schwegman (U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,313, supra) in which the orienting key is designed for more dependable operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,001, which issued to William B. Goode on Apr. 8, 1975, discloses an orienting type kickover tool which when oriented and actuated hinges intermediate its ends and swings its lower portion toward a position above the offset receptacle of a side pocket mandrel.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,051,895 which issued to Hugh D. Embree on Oct. 4, 1977, and 4,031,954 which issued to Gerald P. Hebert on June 28, 1977, both cover slight improvements over the kickover tool of Goode (U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,001, supra).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,780 which issued to David T. Merritt on Jan. 18, 1983, discloses a kickover tool which is an improvement over the kickover tool of Goode (U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,001, supra) the improvement enabling the kickover tool to be actuated by engaging a conventional orienting sleeve but without engaging the conventional tripping shoulder at the upper end of its orienting slot. A further improvement relates to a detent which helps to maintain the kickover tool in its misaligned position after it has been actuated to such position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,893 which issued to Tommy C. Foust on Apr. 17, 1984, discloses an improved 90-degree type kickover tool which is very simply structured of minimal parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,097 which issued to William W. Dollison on Nov. 29, 1960, discloses (see FIG. 6) a tool having a collet for engaging a well tool and which is releasable upon shearing a pin. This type of tool can be used for certain running or pulling operations and can be arranged to shear the pin for release in response to upward or downward jarring impacts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,011 which issued to Imre I. Gazda, et al. on July 12, 1977, discloses a running tool having a collet for engaging a well tool, the collet being spring biased to a position wherein the collet fingers are supported against inward movement to, thus, maintain engagement with the well tool, the collet being movable to releasing position upon application of sufficient pulling force to the running tool to overcome the spring load and move the collet to a position wherein the collet fingers are not supported and may move to releasing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,282,822 issued to C. B. Greer on Apr. 1, 1958 and U. S. Pat. No. 2,851,110 which issued Sept. 9, 1958 also to C. B. Greer, disclose WELL JARS for use in applying jarring impacts to well tools downhole. These jars are of the hydraulic type having a cylinder with a piston slidable therein and a piston rod extending from the piston and through the end of the cylinder. The device is filled with hydraulic medium. To avoid unwanted changes in oil pressure whenever the piston rod extends, a floating piston is provided to separate the hydraulic medium from the well fluids which enter to compensate for the displacement of the piston rod.
The present invention is an improvement over the known prior art and overcomes many of the shortcomings associated therewith and is more suitable for use with modern, more sophisticated, accurate, and very costly and delicate instruments.